Baking with children at Christmas

Background: Why we bake at Christmas

There are several theories about why we specifically bring out the mixing bowls, piping bags and cookie cutters to bake at Christmas. HABA has investigated and shows you which superstitions that Christmas baking goes back to and why we still greatly enjoy wielding the whisk together in the lead-up to Christmas and baking the tastiest recipes.

Protection from spirits

Even before the birth of Jesus Christ, people celebrated from December 21 to 22 the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. After that the days became longer again. Especially around this festival people were afraid of being visited by evil spirits and therefore sacrificed small baked animals made of dough.

Noble gift

In the Middle Ages spices and baked goods were very expensive and most people couldn't afford them. In the reflective Advent season it was, however, tradition in monasteries to make small pastries to distribute to the poor.

High society

In the 18th century, well-to-do people liked to serve their guests fine cakes with their tea during the Christmas season, which were decorated with chocolate, marzipan or nuts. In some German dialects the word 'Platz' is the term for a flat, small cake, from which over time the word 'Plätzchen' developed.

Cookie recipes

Safety first - what you should watch out for when baking with children

Always keep sharp objects in sight.
Make sure your children do not get too close to the hot oven.
Special baking sets for children are best suited for small children's hands.
Help your kids when necessary, but also let them work independently.
Tasting the dough is allowed, but only in moderation – otherwise stomach aches are inevitable.

Tips & Tricks: How to succeed at baking with children at Christmas

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Good preparation is half the battle For most recipes the dough has to rest first before you can cut out the cookies. So that the little sugar bakers are allowed to start working immediately, it's best to prepare the dough for your cookies already the day before according to the recipe and let it rest in the refrigerator until you bake together.

Everything in its place Lay out all necessary utensils and ingredients for the respective recipes, so that the little ones can get straight to the fun part of baking. This prevents your children from losing their interest in baking or becoming cranky.

Less sugarCookies are a great treat at Christmas time. However, the baking recipes usually contain a large amount of sugar. If you want to create a healthy version of it, don't take the measurements in cookie recipes too literally – even with less sugar the Christmas cookies taste good and your teeth will thank you.

Perfectly imperfect is the mottoPressing the cutters into the dough and then decorating the cookies with sprinkles, nuts or icing can already be done by the little ones. It doesn't matter if the snowman looks a bit crooked and the green icing for the fir tree ends up more next to the cookie. Most importantly: The cookies were baked with love and therefore taste all the better, even if they are not entirely perfect.

Less is moreIf you would like to try out different recipes, rather plan several baking afternoons with your children. Too much kneading, cutting out and decorating will overwhelm even the most diligent master bakers eventually and the fun of baking is lost.

Create a festive atmosphereWith a few nice Christmas songs in the background, cozy lighting and a cup of children's punch, the baking fun becomes even more festive and sociable. That way you and your children get mentally into the mood for the upcoming Christmas celebration while you bake.

CHILDREN'S SONGS FOR LITTLE MUSICAL BAKERS

Delicious recipes for baking at Christmas: What do children particularly like?

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When baking at Christmas, children mainly want one thing: to have fun. Mit den Fingern den Teig gut durchkneten, ausrollen und anschließend die Kekse ausstechen und verzieren. Für die Weihnachtsbäckerei braucht es keine aufwendigen Rezepte.

Most kids love sweet and not too bitter or tart Christmas pastries. Whether funny Santas, colorful Christmas baubles or funny reindeer – the cookies must be varied. We will now show you some recipes that your children are guaranteed to like and that you can easily bake together.

Great recipes for child-friendly cookies

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Shortcrust cookies

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You will need:

300 g flour
200 g butter, chilled
100 g powdered sugar
1 medium egg
for decorating: icing, chocolate chips, nuts, sprinkles etc.

Here's how it's done:

Knead the ingredients for the dough quickly and form it into a ball. The dough must now chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Wrap it in cling film for best results.
Before you start cutting out shapes, preheat the oven to 180 °C and line the baking trays with baking paper. Now spread some flour on the work surface to roll out the dough more easily.
Now your kids can actively help you with the baking. Together, cut out the desired cookie shapes.
Decorate the cookies before baking with nuts or other treats that you simply press into the dough.
If you're happy with your baked goods, carefully place the cookies on a baking tray and bake them for about ten minutes. It's best to keep an eye on the oven with your cookies. Depending on how thin the dough is, it can sometimes go faster.
After cooling, your child can further decorate the finished cookies to their heart's content. Sprinkles, chocolate and co. stick especially well when using icing as glue.

Simply adorable: baking little mice

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You will need:

150 g almonds (ground)
200 g soft butter
150 g sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 egg white
200 g flour
50 g cornstarch
200 g couverture (milk or dark)
whole almonds or peanuts (for the ears)
Decoration: colorful strings & chocolate candies (optional)

Here's how it's done:

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Roast the ground almonds in a pan without fat and let cool.
Cream the butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. Then add the egg white and the almonds and fold in the flour and the starch.
Now take a little dough from the bowl with a teaspoon and shape it into a small ball which you slightly flatten.
Place the mice bodies on the baking tray and decorate them with two whole almonds or peanuts, which are stuck in the middle as ears. Process the remaining dough in the same way. With colorful strings you can also attach a little tail to your mice.
The mouse cookies must bake in the preheated oven for about 13 minutes. Let them cool well after baking.
In the meantime you can already melt the couverture. The finished cookies can now be decorated. Paint a little face and a nose on them with the chocolate. If you like, place a colorful chocolate candy on the nose. Your funny Christmas cookies are ready.

Nibble, nibble, little house... Baking a gingerbread house with children

'Hu, hu, there's an old witch peeking out!' – at the latest since the fairy tale Hänsel and Gretel all children know the gingerbread house of the grim, evil witch. Beautifully decorated, the gingerbread house is part of Christmas for many families.

And the best part: You can bake a great gingerbread house with your children easily and with little effort. Baking becomes very simple if you use pre-made gingerbread panels or whole gingerbread house kits from the supermarket as a base. Alternatively, of course you can make the gingerbread yourself and cut it to size.

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You will need:

Gingerbread house kit (optional)
500 g powdered sugar
2 egg whites
piping bag
candies for decorating (e.g. chocolate lentils, gummy bears, small cookies etc.)

If you want to bake the dough yourself:

250 g honey
150 g butter
400 g flour
200 g almonds (ground)
250 g brown sugar
2 tsp gingerbread spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 egg

Here's how it's done:

Mix butter, sugar and honey in a pot and heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Let the mixture cool briefly and now fold in the other ingredients. Mix everything well with a hand mixer until a firm dough forms.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator, ideally overnight.
Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and roll the gingerbread dough out thinly. Cut the shapes of the gingerbread house with a knife. You can find many templates on the internet that give you the shapes. But you can also implement your own creations – the gingerbread house doesn't have to be perfectly straight.
If you are happy with your shapes, it's time to bake the parts. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and place the individual components on a baking tray lined with baking paper. The gingerbread must now bake well for about 20 to 30 minutes until it is firm in the middle.
If you use a gingerbread house kit, you can skip the previous steps and begin assembling directly. Use icing made from powdered sugar and the two egg whites whipped foamy with the mixer as glue.
Now apply the icing to the edges of all parts using a piping bag and glue the gingerbread house together. Toothpicks help you hold the parts in place. You can remove them again after drying.
It's best to apply an icing line both inside and outside so everything holds well. Once your house is standing, you can decorate it with the candies.

Gingerbread house kit: step-by-step instructions

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Step 1: Contents of the kit

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Step 2: Fix the side panels with icing

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Step 3: Attach the roof

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Step 4: Put on the chimney

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Step 5: Draw windows & doors

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Step 6: Decorate the roof

Frequently asked questions about baking with children at Christmas

When should we start baking for Christmas?

The more recipes you want to try before Christmas, the sooner you should start baking. Most families start early and use Advent with their children to bake the first cookies and treats for the run-up to Christmas.

This way you'll be sure to finish your planned recipes on time and can relax and look forward to the peaceful days with your loved ones.

At what age can children help with baking?

When your little ones can actively help you bake for Christmas cannot be determined by age. If your children show enthusiasm for baking, you can involve them in the preparations for Christmas. Depending on their age, it's best to assign them the tasks they can already do independently.

Younger children can, for example, take care of cutting out and decorating the cookies, whereas older kids can already help with mixing the dough or weighing the ingredients.

For many children, cookie dough is very tempting and little ones often sneak a bit while baking without anyone noticing. According to experts, the small nibble while Christmas baking is not really critical, provided you use only fresh eggs for baking. With fresh and properly stored ingredients, the risk of salmonella from nibbling the dough is extremely low.

But be careful: if you snack on too much raw dough, it can cause stomach ache. For this reason, parents should always keep a watchful eye on their children when baking together and step in if the little ones put dough in their mouths too often.